BRUNO SERATO
Restaurateur/Proprietor
It’s the quintessential American success story. A young man immigrates to
the United States with nothing more than a dream and $200 in his pocket, works
hard and creates one of the culinary world’s most respected and lauded fine
dining establishments -- the Anaheim White House -- with Presidents, royalty
and A-list celebrities among his loyal guests. However, it's his charity
work that has fueled his international celebrity.
In
homage to his own humble beginnings, Serato has made it a priority to give back
to those less fortunate in the community. In honor of his mother, he
founded Caterina’s Club, an organization dedicated to making sure the
region’s most vulnerable population – its children -- receive a hot meal before
they are tucked into bed each evening. 7 nights a week he prepares dinner
that is transported to the “motel kids," thus named as these
underprivileged children are forced to live in rundown motels because
their poverty stricken parents are unable to afford more permanent housing.
In addition to having served more than 500,000 meals so far, he has begun
placing some of these families into homes of their own.
Serato's
extreme generosity has earned him worldwide status. He was named one of
CNN's 10 Heroes of the Year and has been featured in magazines (People, Elle,
Vogue), television ("CBS Evening News," "EXTRA,") and
newspapers (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, OC Register) countless times.
He is due to become knighted by the Italian government, was honored on
the steps of the U.S. Capitol with a humanitarian award and has received any
number of proclamations, Man of the Year awards and other forms of recognition.
Today,
he continues to run his highly successful Italian steakhouse, but makes sure to
open its doors not only for his own Caterina's Club, but to so many other
nonprofits that are greeted with a warm and generous embrace. His
generosity in that regard earned national attention when he donated 200
fundraising dinners accommodating 100 guests each to deserving nonprofits in
the community.
While
his prowess in the kitchen knows no bounds, so too does his generosity, which,
in itself, is changing the world for the better.
